The EcoCenter at Heron's Head Park is a landmark environmental education center in San Francisco dedicated to environmental justice and teaching about sustainability in the built environment. The center features: an off-grid solar array, an on-site wastewater treatment system with a constructed wetland; 15K gallons of rainwater storage; vegetative roof; reused and recycled building materials, and an array of sustainable landscape and land management solutions.

Friday, April 30, 2010

The weekend started off on a very interesting and unique note. On Wednesday of last week, Herons Head Park's irrigation line broke, which meant we had no water on site to water newly established plants-so what did we do? We used the rainwater that we had stored over the last storm cycle.

On Thursday evening, before the event, and during the Ohlone Bear Dance gathering, the power went out to the Backlands Pier 96--so what did we have at the Ecocenter? A completely stand alone and self-sufficient stand alone solar powered building to light our path!

Every challenge that faced us we overcame with a solution. And it all made me feel personally empowered by what we have created at Herons Head Park--a completely self sufficient build environment that can sustain us amidst infrastructure failures!

Thursday through Saturday the Ohlone Community gathered at Herons Head Park as part of a larger convergence. It was absolutely spectacular--the new moon rising over the sweat lodge that had been so carefully constructed out at the end of Herons Head; the earthy aroma of sage spreading across the waterfront; and the sweet song of the nightbirds ringing out across the park, over the Bay, through the ancient corridors of the Naval Yard--empty and darkened by the old Naval buildings that sit empty over fallow land.

Sunday came and it couldn't have been more beautiful out. We had a great turn out from all across the city--youth, actvists; politicians, truckers; backlands and frontline workers; teachers; bikers; former LEJ youth and Current LEJ youth. It was an amazing gathering to kickoff a decade of work to bring the ecocenter to life.

Stay tuned, there is plenty more to come. This was only the beginning.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Our logo arrived yesterday and we mounted it on our front doors. Today is a big day, the beautiful leaves and pipevines that Haideen and the box shop crew have been toiling on for months are coming to the site to be assembled and mounted! The Habitat Gardens team is assembling our constructed wetlands and we are getting ready for Sunday!

Monday, April 12, 2010

We spent the last few days staining the Ecocenter floor using a soy-based stain that not only looks beautiful and is also non-toxic. We welcomed our first resident to the building--a beautiful worm that I found rolling across the gorgeous sunset colored floor! I promptly added him/her to the constructed wetland!

We are getting closer to our grand opening event and we are in the final stretches. I am proud to state, after two days of solid rain, we have almost 2800 gallons in the tanks outside the building!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Friends: Yesterday was an incredible day on site. At 11:00am our three beautiful tanks, fresh off the factory line in Sacramento from American Tank Company, were delivered to our site.

We have 14000 gallons of storage capacity at the site. Each tank will get fed from three different roof levels and will purpose three different funtions: toilet feed and roof irrigation for our vegetative roof.

The tanks are absolutely beautiful--and as soon as they came to the site and were placed, the image of the ecocenter was sinched. The marriage between our tanks and the building has been made!